![The Cape Colony - 1878](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/The_Cape_Colony_-_1878.jpg)
The Palgrave Commission (1876–1885) was a series of diplomatic missions undertaken by Special Commissioner
William Coates Palgrave (1833–1897) to the territory of
South West Africa
South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...
(modern
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
). Palgrave was commissioned by the Cape Government to meet with the leaders of the nations of Hereroland and Namaland, hear their wishes regarding political sovereignty, and relay the assembled information to the
Cape Colony Government.
In the early 1870s, South West Africa was torn by internecine warfare and threatened with impending invasion and colonisation by Portugal, Germany and the Boers. In desperation, several local leaders requested incorporation into the relatively peaceful Cape Colony, with the promise of equal representation in the
Cape Parliament
The Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope functioned as the legislature of the Cape Colony, from its founding in 1853, until the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, when it was dissolved and the Parliament of South Africa was establis ...
. The Cape Government commissioned Palgrave to investigate, and Palgrave recommended that South West Africa be incorporated into the Cape and its inhabitants granted equal political rights.
This would have resulted in a new state, comprising the Cape and modern
Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
. However the breakdown in relations between the local Cape government and the British Imperial government prevented it from being implemented. The region remained vulnerable without a unified state structure, and was taken over and colonised by Germany soon afterwards.
History
Background
![BasterCouncil1872](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/BasterCouncil1872.jpg)
In the 19th century, the frontiers of the
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...
and the neighbouring
Boer republics were inhabited by expanding waves of semi-nomadic farmers. These
Afrikaans-speaking nomads included the mixed-race
Oorlam,
Griqua Griqua may refer to:
* Griqua people
* Griqua language or Xiri language
* Griquas (rugby)
Griquas (known as the Windhoek Draught Griquas for sponsorship reasons since April 2022) are a South African rugby union team that participates in the an ...
and
Baster
The Basters (also known as Baasters, Rehobothers or Rehoboth Basters) are a Southern African ethnic group descended from white European men and black African women, usually of Khoisan origin, but occasionally also enslaved women from the Cape, ...
nations as well as the white
Trekboers
The Trekboers ( af, Trekboere) were nomadic pastoralists descended from European settlers on the frontiers of the Dutch Cape Colony in Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the C ...
. Leaving the colonies, they spilled over into neighbouring territories and entered into clashes with the pre-existing African peoples.
In
South West Africa
South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola (Portuguese colony before 1 ...
, which was as yet uncolonised by Europeans, incursions from the south by mounted gunmen of the
Oorlam people
The Oorlam or Orlam people (also known as Orlaam, Oorlammers, Oerlams, or Orlamse Hottentots) are a subtribe of the Nama people, largely assimilated after their migration from the Cape Colony (today, part of South Africa) to Namaqualand and Dam ...
began in the late 18th century. After decades of war with the
Damara,
Nama and
Herero people
The Herero ( hz, Ovaherero) are a Bantu ethnic group inhabiting parts of Southern Africa. There were an estimated 250,000 Herero people in Namibia in 2013. They speak Otjiherero, a Bantu language. Though the Herero primarily reside in Namibia, t ...
, they established a powerful semi-nomadic state in the area of modern
Windhoek
Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 20 ...
, under their dynamic leader
Jan Jonker Afrikaner
Jan Jonker Afrikaner (c. 1820 in Bethanie, South West Africa – 10 August 1889 near Tsoabis, South West Africa) was the second oldest son of Jonker Afrikaner and Beetje Boois. He became the sixth and last Captain of the Orlam Afrikaners in ...
.
In 1868, a second group, the
Baster
The Basters (also known as Baasters, Rehobothers or Rehoboth Basters) are a Southern African ethnic group descended from white European men and black African women, usually of Khoisan origin, but occasionally also enslaved women from the Cape, ...
s, began to push north into South West Africa. In the ensuing conflict with the other nations of the area, they established a republic and parliament in 1872, around the settlement of
Rehoboth. From the 1870s however, increasing numbers of white
Trekboers
The Trekboers ( af, Trekboere) were nomadic pastoralists descended from European settlers on the frontiers of the Dutch Cape Colony in Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the C ...
began to enter South West Africa from the east, causing even worse internecine warfare.
Furthermore, as the
scramble for Africa
The Scramble for Africa, also called the Partition of Africa, or Conquest of Africa, was the invasion, annexation, division, and colonisation of Africa, colonization of most of Africa by seven Western Europe, Western European powers during a ...
loomed, several observant local leaders became aware that full European colonisation of the territory was probably on the way.
Creation of the Commission (1876)
![Opperhoofman Maharero](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Opperhoofman_Maharero.jpg)
In this context, the great Herero leader
Maharero
Maharero kaTjamuaha ( Otjiherero: ''Maharero, son of Tjamuaha'', short: Maharero; 1820 – 7 October 1890) was one of the most powerful paramount chiefs of the Herero people in South-West Africa, today's Namibia.
Early life
Maharero, wa ...
, still engaged in a bitter war with the Oorlam leader Jonker Afrikaner, heard rumours of a large body of white
Trekboers
The Trekboers ( af, Trekboere) were nomadic pastoralists descended from European settlers on the frontiers of the Dutch Cape Colony in Southern Africa
Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the C ...
preparing to leave the
Transvaal Boer Republic to invade South West Africa and establish another Boer republic there. These rumours were in fact correct, as the "
Dorsland Trekkers" were mobilising, and their great migration was soon to begin.
Motivated by the combined severity of the situation, from 1874
Maharero
Maharero kaTjamuaha ( Otjiherero: ''Maharero, son of Tjamuaha'', short: Maharero; 1820 – 7 October 1890) was one of the most powerful paramount chiefs of the Herero people in South-West Africa, today's Namibia.
Early life
Maharero, wa ...
began sending diplomatic missions southwards, to the
Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope
The Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope functioned as the legislature of the Cape Colony, from its founding in 1853, until the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, when it was dissolved and the Parliament of South Africa was establish ...
.
The Cape, under its local system of "
Responsible Government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive bran ...
", had recently attained a degree of independence from the British Empire. Its locally elected parliament was viewed by many in southern Africa as being relatively benign and inclusive, as compared to the other more oppressive states of the region. It implemented a
multi-racial franchise, laws prohibiting racial discrimination and legal protection of African traditional land from white appropriation.
Maharero therefore chose the Cape for his overture, first requesting long-term assistance and protection, and later requesting incorporation of his people into the Cape's parliamentary democracy.
The Cape Parliament responded to
Maharero
Maharero kaTjamuaha ( Otjiherero: ''Maharero, son of Tjamuaha'', short: Maharero; 1820 – 7 October 1890) was one of the most powerful paramount chiefs of the Herero people in South-West Africa, today's Namibia.
Early life
Maharero, wa ...
's request with a set of proposed scenarios. On the one extreme, some parliamentary factions favoured total non-involvement. On the other extreme, many favoured full annexation to the Cape Colony with all the political rights that would entail. The Cape Prime Minister
John Molteno
Sir John Charles Molteno (5 June 1814 – 1 September 1886) was a soldier, businessman, champion of responsible government and the first Prime Minister of the Cape Colony.
Early life
Born in London into a large Anglo-Italian family, Molten ...
concluded that the final decision would depend on the views and wishes of the various nations of South West Africa, and that a delegation must immediately depart to consult them and report back.
![Palgrave Mission - Kunjas Namibia - Windhoek Archives](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Palgrave_Mission_-_Kunjas_Namibia_-_Windhoek_Archives.png)
To head the commission, Molteno chose William Palgrave, a gentle and learned man who had spent many years living with the
Herero
Herero may refer to:
* Herero people, a people belonging to the Bantu group, with about 240,000 members alive today
* Herero language, a language of the Bantu family (Niger-Congo group)
* Herero and Namaqua Genocide
* Herero chat, a species of b ...
and knew many of the traditional leaders personally. Palgrave initially declined. He claimed that his personal friendships with some of the Herero leaders, such as Maharero and Shikongo, meant that he could not be fully impartial with regard to the region's conflicts.
Charles Brownlee
Charles Pacalt Brownlee (1821- 13 September 1890) was a politician and writer of the Cape Colony. He was the first Secretary for Native Affairs in the Cape.
Early life
Born in 1821, the son of the linguist, botanist and missionary, John Brownle ...
was therefore temporarily suggested as a replacement. However, on Molteno's insistence, Palgrave accepted. So finally, in 1876, Palgrave entered the arid vastness of South West Africa as "Special Commissioner to Hereroland and Namaland", with a multi-ethnic assemblage of personnel and a long train of ox-wagons.
Palgrave's 5 missions
![Jan Jonker Afrikaner Portrait](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Jan_Jonker_Afrikaner_Portrait.jpg)
Palgrave undertook a total of 5 commissions to South West Africa, of which the first were the biggest.
Travel was arduous and dangerous, in a desert country with no infrastructure and unsettled nomads. However Palgrave knew much of the country well from his youth, and many of his personnel were local men who were also knowledgeable of the enormous land. They generally travelled at night, so as to avoid the deadly heat of the desert. When arriving in settlements like
Okahandja
Okahandja is a city of 24,100 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the ''Garden Town of Namibia''. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the ...
,
Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay ( en, lit. Whale Bay; af, Walvisbaai; ger, Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The c ...
and
Otjimbingwe
Otjimbingwe (also: Otjimbingue) is a settlement in the Erongo Region of central Namibia. It has approximately 8,000 inhabitants.
History
The area was already a temporary settlement of some Herero in the early 18th century. Their chief Tjiponda c ...
, they were usually expected, and treated as honoured guests by the local leaders.
Initially, before leaving Cape Town, Palgrave's opinion had been that a simple bilateral treaty and the posting of a magistrate for each nation would suffice to protect and ensure peace in the region. On seeing the current state of the country though, he personally came to feel that full annexation was the only way to bring about peace.
First Commission
In his 1st commission, Palgrave visited
Maharero
Maharero kaTjamuaha ( Otjiherero: ''Maharero, son of Tjamuaha'', short: Maharero; 1820 – 7 October 1890) was one of the most powerful paramount chiefs of the Herero people in South-West Africa, today's Namibia.
Early life
Maharero, wa ...
and his government, as well as the local leaders of Omaruru and Ameib, the Basters, the Nama, Damaras,
Bondelswarts
The Bondelswarts are a Nama people, Nama ethnic group of Southern Africa living in the extreme south of Namibia, in an area centred on the town of Warmbad, Namibia, Warmbad.''Big Swords, Jesuits, and Bondelswarts'', John S. Lowry, p.64
History
T ...
and the powerful and expansionist Oorlam people of Jonker Afrikaner.
His report back to the Cape Parliament was that Maharero formally requested full incorporation, with a magistrate specifically to be based in his own town of
Okahandja
Okahandja is a city of 24,100 inhabitants in Otjozondjupa Region, central Namibia, and the district capital of the Okahandja electoral constituency. It is known as the ''Garden Town of Namibia''. It is located 70 km north of Windhoek on the ...
. The other nations, suffering from the internecine strife, likewise requested incorporation by treaty. Notably, he reported that the Oorlam wished to remain sovereign.
However his conclusion was that annexation was overwhelmingly favoured by the leaders and people of the region, and that it was the only way of ending the devastating warfare that was engulfing the region.
Back in Cape Town, additional recommendations included:
* Establishing a magistrate-system, centred on Okahandja, with field-cornets in the smaller settlements. The Cape Parliament would be expanded to represent the additional voters.
* A recognition of any customary tribal laws, such as did not conflict with fundamental rights to life and property and which did not involve violence or "marauding".
* The ensuring that, before accession, each tribe's leadership was entirely aware of (and in accordance with) the main body of Cape law as it applied to them
* Agreeing with the local leaders on the introduction of additional laws to prevent the flow of liquor imports into the country.
The Cape government immediately agreed to incorporation, but other forces were at play in southern Africa that would prevent it.
Fall-out between the Cape and the British government
![Cape Colony with Walvis Bay and Offshore Islands](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Cape_Colony_with_Walvis_Bay_and_Offshore_Islands.png)
Palgrave's commission was increasingly undermined by the growing tension between the local Cape government and the British Empire.
The Cape Colony had attained a degree of independence, but its first Prime Minister,
John Molteno
Sir John Charles Molteno (5 June 1814 – 1 September 1886) was a soldier, businessman, champion of responsible government and the first Prime Minister of the Cape Colony.
Early life
Born in London into a large Anglo-Italian family, Molten ...
, was engaged in a growing struggle with the British Governor,
Sir Henry Bartle Frere for control over the Cape's external relations (of which Palgrave's commission formed a part). This caused the
British Imperial Government first to push for the annexation, but then to actively forestall it as a way of putting pressure on the Cape government. This fatally undermined Palgrave's work.
Nonetheless, aside from any humanitarian considerations, the Cape began to have serious strategic reasons for wanting to secure South West Africa. It correctly predicted the invasion of this area by an imperialist European power (in this case,
Imperial Germany
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
), and it wished to protect the flank of the new Kimberley diamond fields. It was also very aware of the need to secure the only viable harbour of the region (Walvis Bay) and the trade routes to the north.
The British government believed it to be a strife-torn territory which was of no significant value. A reflection of its ignorance of the land was
Lord Carnarvon
Earl of Carnarvon is a title that has been created three times in British history. The current holder is George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon. The town and county in Wales to which the title refers are historically spelled ''Caernarfon,'' havi ...
's belief that Walvis Bay was the port for Kimberley. The British government wanted to implement a system of
confederation
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
in Southern Africa under British control. The Cape government rejected this Confederation plan, as it predicted (correctly) that it would lead to war with the Boer Republics. However, Bartle Frere used his ability to obstruct the implementation of Palgrave's work as a tactical tool, to pressurise the Cape government to agree to confederation.
Failing to persuade the Cape government, Bartle Frere dissolved it, and assumed direct control of the country to enforce the Confederation system. The Confederation plan collapsed as predicted, culminating in the
Anglo-Zulu War
The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coupl ...
and the
First Boer War
The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...
.
In a peculiar step, the incorporation of
Walvis Bay
Walvis Bay ( en, lit. Whale Bay; af, Walvisbaai; ger, Walfischbucht or Walfischbai) is a city in Namibia and the name of the bay on which it lies. It is the second largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country. The c ...
and the
offshore islands was then authorised by the British in 1878, while the rest of the country remained in legal limbo until the Germans arrived.
Subsequent Commissions
Palgrave's following trips coincided with a sharp deterioration in the conditions in South West Africa.
Among the overall rise in violence, notable was the renewed military expansion of Jonker Afrikaner's Oorlam. Meanwhile, the Herero polity began to fragment, the Basters came under growing attack, and the migration of Boer "Thirst Trekkers" approached from the Transvaal (in the end, in fact, for all the fear they generated among the locals, the trekkers ended up in a state of near starvation in the Kaokoveld, decimated by the harsh climate.)
Related to the rise in violence, local leaders' trust in Palgrave declined. Maharero, no longer relying directly on Palgrave, sent his son Willem on a diplomatic mission to Cape Town to negotiate with the new pro-imperialist Prime Minister,
John Gordon Sprigg
Sir John Gordon Sprigg, (27 April 1830 – 4 February 1913) was an English-born colonial administrator, politician and four-time prime minister of the Cape Colony.
Early life
Sprigg was born in Ipswich, England, into a strongly Puritan fami ...
. The Oorlam broke off relations completely, and Palgrave even had to flee the fighting as further fighting broke out between the Herero and the Nama, and his staff largely deserted him. As the various political factions in the British administration of the Cape disagreed and delayed, the unrest in South West Africa continued. Finally, as predicted, the German Colonisers arrived.
German invasion (1884)
![Bundesarchiv Bild 105-DSWA0095, Deutsch-Süd-Westafrika, Kamelreiterpatrouille](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Bundesarchiv_Bild_105-DSWA0095%2C_Deutsch-S%C3%BCd-Westafrika%2C_Kamelreiterpatrouille.jpg)
In 1883, a German trader,
Adolf Lüderitz
Franz Adolf Eduard Lüderitz (16 July 1834 – end of October 1886) was a German merchant and the founder of German South West Africa, Imperial Germany's first colony. The coastal town of Lüderitz, located in the ǁKaras Region of southern N ...
bought a section of coast, renamed it after himself, and advised the German chancellor
Otto von Bismarck
Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...
to annexe and occupy South West Africa, before the Cape did. In 1884 Bismarck did so, thereby establishing
German South West Africa
German South West Africa (german: Deutsch-Südwestafrika) was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 until 1915, though Germany did not officially recognise its loss of this territory until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. With a total area of ...
as a colony (Deutsch-Südwestafrika in German).
Too late, the Cape tried to forestall the German invasion. Surrounded by bitter accusations from his former staff and in the context of the German expansion, Palgrave departed for his 5th and final commission in 1884. Once again, he conveyed a desperate request for incorporation from Maharero and other leaders. Once again, the British Imperial Government adopted its own course and vacillated, and when Palgrave arrived back in Cape Town he learned that the Imperial government had recognised German authority over the South West African hinterland.
Aftermath and legacy
The failure of the Palgrave Commission was due primarily due to ill-advised interference in the affairs of southern Africa by the British Colonial Office in London, whose obstruction of the commission led to German colonisation of South West Africa. The subsequent wars, rebellions and resulting
Herero and Namaqua Genocide
The Herero and Namaqua genocide or the Herero and Nama genocide was a campaign of ethnic extermination and collective punishment waged by the German Empire against the Herero (Ovaherero) and the Nama in German South West Africa (now Namibia). ...
all ensued from German colonisation.
However, it is difficult to hypothesize on what would have resulted if the Palgrave Commission had succeeded. The hypothetical enlarged state would have included the entire (predominantly mixed-race and Afrikaans-speaking) western half of southern Africa, corresponding largely to the dry, winter-rainfall climatic area, and holding abundant mineral resources. It would also have inherited a relatively liberal, inclusive and multi-racial political system. Had it not been united with the Boer republics and the Johannesburg mines that seeded
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
, it is possible that this region would have avoided that most unfortunate part of history. A social development akin to that of Brazil might have followed, but with no way of predicting either way, no judgement can be made.
Palgrave himself became increasingly critical, both of the Herero and Nama leadership, and of the British authorities he was working for. Having worked for nearly a decade on a project that was now a failure, he retired. The question has yet to be resolved, of whether he was a hard-working and well-intentioned diplomat attempting to pre-empt the German colonial invasion, or whether he was merely another agent of oppressive colonialism.
[E. L. P. Stals: ''The Commissions of W. C. Palgrave: Special Emmissary to South West Africa, 1876–1885'' Van Riebeeck Society, The, 1991. xxxiii.]
See also
*
History of Namibia
The history of Namibia has passed through several distinct stages from being colony, colonised in the late nineteenth century to Namibia's independence on 21 March 1990.
From 1884, Namibia was a German colony: German South West Africa. After the ...
*
Maharero
Maharero kaTjamuaha ( Otjiherero: ''Maharero, son of Tjamuaha'', short: Maharero; 1820 – 7 October 1890) was one of the most powerful paramount chiefs of the Herero people in South-West Africa, today's Namibia.
Early life
Maharero, wa ...
*
Union of South Africa
The Union of South Africa ( nl, Unie van Zuid-Afrika; af, Unie van Suid-Afrika; ) was the historical predecessor to the present-day Republic of South Africa. It came into existence on 31 May 1910 with the unification of the Cape, Natal, Trans ...
*
Penguin Islands
The Penguin Islands ( af, Pikkewyn-eilande, german: Pinguininseln) are a historical group of mostly scattered islands and rocks situated along a stretch of along the coastline of Namibia. Not forming a geographic whole, the Namibian governm ...
References
{{Authority control
History of Namibia
19th century in Africa
British colonisation in Africa
International commissions
1876 establishments in the Cape Colony
1876 in South Africa